Every Android app or games requests for certain permissions like access to the Internet, the ability to send messages etc. when you install it from the Market. While most users out there simply click the Next button on the Permissions screen, some users actually make sure that the app they are installing does not require any unneeded permission. After all, you never know when a simple looking game is stealing all your personal info on the phone and sending it to some remote location.

There are quite a few apps in the Android Market, which request access to your phone’s GPS or Internet for no reason at all. This might be a big issue for all the privacy freaks out there. Thankfully, there are quite a few apps in the Android Market, which can deny apps access to permissions, which it does not require to run, is unneeded or as specified by the user. However, most of these apps require root access to work properly, and not everyone has or wants to root their Android phone.

One Android developer – houzuoguo – realized this and developed an app called Privacy Protector. The app allows users to restrict the location and Internet permissions to all other apps without the need for root access. When Privacy Protector rejects permissions to a specified app, the user is notified by a notification on the notification bar.

Interested readers can download Privacy Protector for free either from this thread on XDA forums.

Author: Rajesh Pandey

Rajesh is a 19 year old nerd, currently pursuing B.Com Hons from Bhawanipore college in Kolkata, India. He loves everything tech, especially Android. You can follow him on twitter @ePandu or mail to him at rajesh@techie-buzz.com.